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| (Pic : greentraveller.co.uk) |
I couldn't let the Assembly term come to an end without giving "my favourite committee" – Enterprise and Business – a proper send off; and it could well be the last time I do this anyway.
In what's likely to be amongst the last official business of the Fourth Assembly, the Committee today launched their report on buses and community transport (pdf). It's a sequel of sorts to their excellent integrated transport inquiry from 2013.
Buses could be seen as the "Cinderella service" of public transport, with falling passenger numbers (-19% between 2008-2015), falling routes (-46% reduction between 2005-2015) and cuts to funding. The Assembly's Petitions Committee also received three petitions concerning bus services during the Fourth Assembly, receiving a combined 914 signatures.
In addition, while 58% of urban responders to the Committee's survey and consultation said they could go anywhere by bus, just 48% of rural responders agreed.
There were 12 recommendations, summarised as :
- The Welsh Government should develop a community transport strategy in co-operation with the sector.
- The Welsh Government should take note of good financial and policy practice elsewhere in the UK, particularly the adoption of an English-style "Total Transport" policy.
- The Welsh Government should ensure concessionary fares are targeted at those who most need them so increasingly scarce resources aren't diverted. They should also review how community transport operators are reimbursed.
- The Committee supports calls for greater powers over bus services, but as "a matter of urgency" Wales should establish its own Traffic Commissioner.
- The Welsh Government should ensure the introduction of Bus Quality Standards is well-resourced.
- The Welsh Government should set a deadline of 2018 to introduce an integrated ticketing system (i.e. "Welsh Oyster Card") for use on all rail, commercial bus and Metro services.
The State of the Industry
The picture for bus services outside Greater London is described as "not good". In 2015-16 alone, 53 services were withdrawn, reduced or altered by Welsh local authorities – some local authorities, like Neath Port Talbot and Wrexham have ended all subsidies to bus companies.
The Welsh Government's Bus Service Support Grant has been frozen at £25million since 2013-14, while bus fares rose 1% above inflation in 2014, compared to 0.6% in England and 0.3% in Scotland.
Despite the introduction of free bus passes for over-60s, the Older People's Commissioner said cuts to bus services had a real impact on people, leaving older people in particular "more susceptible to loneliness and social isolation" which impacts their physical as well as mental health.
Despite the gloomy picture, nobody said the bus industry was in "crisis", with a number of new and old operators continuing to thrive and some genuinely good service performances in some parts of Wales.
"Total Transport" is the latest buzz-word/initiative in England, and means bus contracts for school and health transport are procured alongside mainstream commercial services to prevent replication and waste of funding.
In Wales, the Business & Economy Minister, Edwina Hart (Lab, Gower) and her department have actively explored the introduction of voluntary Bus Quality Standards which will set out a number of essential service requirements prospective bus operators will have to meet to receive grants.
Community transport is different to commercial bus transport in that it tends to operate on lesser-used routes as a not-for-profit public service based on a community's needs - sometimes run by volunteers. The trends are positive with the number of journeys increasing from 1.2million in 2010 to 2million in 2013.
These services are in danger of becoming a victim of their own success, being described as "stretched", while the ring-fenced portion of Welsh Government bus funding was reduced from 10% to 5%. There were particular concerns about capital funding for new vehicles and changes to driver licensing which mean drivers who passed their test before 1997 no longer have the paperwork to drive smaller 9-16 seat buses.
Concessionary Fares
As mentioned, the Welsh Government provides concessionary fares – in this case free bus travel - for the over-60s as well as the disabled. This was recently extended to 16-18 year olds, who get a third off fares. Welsh bus operators have become so dependent on concessionary fares it's said to make up 46% of their income.
Some witnesses said users of concessionary fares should make a small annual contribution of between £10-20 to provide extra income for bus services – a £20 fee could raise £15million a year.
Edwina Hart opposed to the idea because it's often cheaper to give away something for free than it is to administer an annual charge (like free prescriptions). However, Prof. Stuart Cole said admin would be easier via an all-Wales travel smart card (like the Oyster Card).
As a compromise, Age Cymru suggested that the age for eligibility should rise with the pension age whilst maintaining free transport. Meanwhile, community transport operators called for concessionary fares to be extended to their services, whose users often have to pay anyway despite being eligible for free travel.
Powers & Governance
Outside Greater London there are a number of options for regulating the bus industry : voluntary partnership schemes, statutory quality partnership schemes and quality contract schemes. Franchising powers for local authorities (including Wales) are expected to be introduced as part of a Buses Bill being introduced in Westminster.
Bus operators generally oppose any re-regulation of the industry and prefer voluntary partnership agreements instead, with some difficulties experienced in England when statutory contracts etc. were attempted. They consider London to be "a special case".
The Welsh Government has called for powers over bus regulation to be devolved as part of the Wales Bill process, but the UK Department of Transport believe the National Assembly already has the power to introduce franchising. A legal briefing to the Committee suggested that powers under Schedule 7 of the Government of Wales Act 2006 might prevent statutory/quality contracts being amended, while some proposed reserved matters in the draft Wales Bill also cause problems.
In addition, the Traffic Commissioner responsible for Wales is currently based in Birmingham and serves both Wales and the West Midlands. The Committee heard that low levels of enforcement meant operators who have had their licenses revoked have continued in Wales, which could impact safety standards – a situation the Minister described as "absolutely ridiculous".
So there were calls for Wales to have its own Traffic Commissioner as we currently get a bad deal out of EnglandandWales arrangements.
The dissolution of the regional transport consortia is said to have caused problems, with further uncertainty caused by local government reorganisation proposals. Policy is now decided by short-term Welsh Government working groups, which has resulted in a lack of progress on integrated transport. The Transport for Wales company could be an avenue for proper planning of public transport if it's properly resourced and empowered.
Bwcabus, Integrated Transport & Accessibility
Bwcabus is a commercial service (not community transport) run in Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion whereby users pre-book their pick up and drop off times - but they also run a number of fixed routes. The service has been widely-praised for its innovative approach in connecting sparsely-populated areas.
However, Committee members were unable to come to a conclusion on whether Bwcabus – which receives a subsidy – was value for money or not. Despite that they recommend that if cost-effective, the service should be extended to other parts of rural Wales.
The Committee didn't want to repeat what they said in their integrated transport inquiry, but instead wanted to provide an update on what's happened since then. The answer : "disappointingly slow".
There are said to be significant issues in timetabling, co-ordination of services and the impact of cuts to local authorities. Again, progress has been slow on introducing an all-Wales transport smart card.
In terms of accessibility, Disability Wales said access to buses is "improving", but some issues remain like lack of assistance, poor staff attitudes and inconsistency in what different bus operators provide. In addition, the RNIB said 81% of people with sight problems were said to have issues when travelling by bus, with some preferring to stay home than use a bus.
All single and double decker buses over 7.5 tonnes need to be fully-accessible by January 2017 via UK regulations – the clear deadline was welcomed by Disability Wales.
In addition, there were calls for public transport to be considered in development plans and for public transport to be considered in tandem with other areas of public policy, like education, health and equality of opportunity.
Conclusions
Although the Assembly term ended under a cloud, AMs of all colours do some excellent work at times and deserve praise when they do. Yet again the Enterprise & Business Committee have delivered what's likely to be an influential report.
A smart card is probably the single biggest thing that would reverse declines in bus passenger numbers. One of the most off-putting things about using buses is the need to faff about looking for exact change when you often don't even know what the fare will be before travelling. Some companies have introduced mobile tickets etc. but they're not useful if you have to change buses.
Flat fares (or a cap on the amount you would pay in a single day) for travelling within a local authority area/region would probably be another useful addition, but whether bus companies would be on board with that and how it would work in practice are for someone smarter to decide. Some companies already do this to an extent with day tickets, but the principle should be extended to single and return fares too (i.e. £2 for a single journey regardless of length; it's £1.50 in London).
Whether the Bwcabus service needs to be extended to other parts of Wales is open to debate, particularly how it fits in with community transport schemes. It's not just rural Wales either. I can think of places in this area (which probably counts as urban) where a Bwcabus service would be well-received, particularly if commercial bus services by big operators like First Group are threatened – parts of the Vale of Glamorgan, Afan Valley etc.
It's a shame there's been a lack of progress on the recommendations from the integrated transport inquiry though this report will hopefully keep some of the main proposals on the table and in ministers/civil servants minds.
The picture for bus services outside Greater London is described as "not good". In 2015-16 alone, 53 services were withdrawn, reduced or altered by Welsh local authorities – some local authorities, like Neath Port Talbot and Wrexham have ended all subsidies to bus companies.
The Welsh Government's Bus Service Support Grant has been frozen at £25million since 2013-14, while bus fares rose 1% above inflation in 2014, compared to 0.6% in England and 0.3% in Scotland.
Despite the introduction of free bus passes for over-60s, the Older People's Commissioner said cuts to bus services had a real impact on people, leaving older people in particular "more susceptible to loneliness and social isolation" which impacts their physical as well as mental health.
Despite the gloomy picture, nobody said the bus industry was in "crisis", with a number of new and old operators continuing to thrive and some genuinely good service performances in some parts of Wales.
"Total Transport" is the latest buzz-word/initiative in England, and means bus contracts for school and health transport are procured alongside mainstream commercial services to prevent replication and waste of funding.
In Wales, the Business & Economy Minister, Edwina Hart (Lab, Gower) and her department have actively explored the introduction of voluntary Bus Quality Standards which will set out a number of essential service requirements prospective bus operators will have to meet to receive grants.
Community transport is different to commercial bus transport in that it tends to operate on lesser-used routes as a not-for-profit public service based on a community's needs - sometimes run by volunteers. The trends are positive with the number of journeys increasing from 1.2million in 2010 to 2million in 2013.
These services are in danger of becoming a victim of their own success, being described as "stretched", while the ring-fenced portion of Welsh Government bus funding was reduced from 10% to 5%. There were particular concerns about capital funding for new vehicles and changes to driver licensing which mean drivers who passed their test before 1997 no longer have the paperwork to drive smaller 9-16 seat buses.
Concessionary Fares
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| (Pic : Wales Online) |
As mentioned, the Welsh Government provides concessionary fares – in this case free bus travel - for the over-60s as well as the disabled. This was recently extended to 16-18 year olds, who get a third off fares. Welsh bus operators have become so dependent on concessionary fares it's said to make up 46% of their income.
Some witnesses said users of concessionary fares should make a small annual contribution of between £10-20 to provide extra income for bus services – a £20 fee could raise £15million a year.
Edwina Hart opposed to the idea because it's often cheaper to give away something for free than it is to administer an annual charge (like free prescriptions). However, Prof. Stuart Cole said admin would be easier via an all-Wales travel smart card (like the Oyster Card).
As a compromise, Age Cymru suggested that the age for eligibility should rise with the pension age whilst maintaining free transport. Meanwhile, community transport operators called for concessionary fares to be extended to their services, whose users often have to pay anyway despite being eligible for free travel.
Powers & Governance
Outside Greater London there are a number of options for regulating the bus industry : voluntary partnership schemes, statutory quality partnership schemes and quality contract schemes. Franchising powers for local authorities (including Wales) are expected to be introduced as part of a Buses Bill being introduced in Westminster.
Bus operators generally oppose any re-regulation of the industry and prefer voluntary partnership agreements instead, with some difficulties experienced in England when statutory contracts etc. were attempted. They consider London to be "a special case".
The Welsh Government has called for powers over bus regulation to be devolved as part of the Wales Bill process, but the UK Department of Transport believe the National Assembly already has the power to introduce franchising. A legal briefing to the Committee suggested that powers under Schedule 7 of the Government of Wales Act 2006 might prevent statutory/quality contracts being amended, while some proposed reserved matters in the draft Wales Bill also cause problems.
In addition, the Traffic Commissioner responsible for Wales is currently based in Birmingham and serves both Wales and the West Midlands. The Committee heard that low levels of enforcement meant operators who have had their licenses revoked have continued in Wales, which could impact safety standards – a situation the Minister described as "absolutely ridiculous".
So there were calls for Wales to have its own Traffic Commissioner as we currently get a bad deal out of EnglandandWales arrangements.
The dissolution of the regional transport consortia is said to have caused problems, with further uncertainty caused by local government reorganisation proposals. Policy is now decided by short-term Welsh Government working groups, which has resulted in a lack of progress on integrated transport. The Transport for Wales company could be an avenue for proper planning of public transport if it's properly resourced and empowered.
Bwcabus, Integrated Transport & Accessibility
Bwcabus is a commercial service (not community transport) run in Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion whereby users pre-book their pick up and drop off times - but they also run a number of fixed routes. The service has been widely-praised for its innovative approach in connecting sparsely-populated areas.
However, Committee members were unable to come to a conclusion on whether Bwcabus – which receives a subsidy – was value for money or not. Despite that they recommend that if cost-effective, the service should be extended to other parts of rural Wales.
The Committee didn't want to repeat what they said in their integrated transport inquiry, but instead wanted to provide an update on what's happened since then. The answer : "disappointingly slow".
There are said to be significant issues in timetabling, co-ordination of services and the impact of cuts to local authorities. Again, progress has been slow on introducing an all-Wales transport smart card.
In terms of accessibility, Disability Wales said access to buses is "improving", but some issues remain like lack of assistance, poor staff attitudes and inconsistency in what different bus operators provide. In addition, the RNIB said 81% of people with sight problems were said to have issues when travelling by bus, with some preferring to stay home than use a bus.
All single and double decker buses over 7.5 tonnes need to be fully-accessible by January 2017 via UK regulations – the clear deadline was welcomed by Disability Wales.
In addition, there were calls for public transport to be considered in development plans and for public transport to be considered in tandem with other areas of public policy, like education, health and equality of opportunity.
Conclusions
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| If you get the reference, go make some porkchop sandwiches. |
Although the Assembly term ended under a cloud, AMs of all colours do some excellent work at times and deserve praise when they do. Yet again the Enterprise & Business Committee have delivered what's likely to be an influential report.
A smart card is probably the single biggest thing that would reverse declines in bus passenger numbers. One of the most off-putting things about using buses is the need to faff about looking for exact change when you often don't even know what the fare will be before travelling. Some companies have introduced mobile tickets etc. but they're not useful if you have to change buses.
Flat fares (or a cap on the amount you would pay in a single day) for travelling within a local authority area/region would probably be another useful addition, but whether bus companies would be on board with that and how it would work in practice are for someone smarter to decide. Some companies already do this to an extent with day tickets, but the principle should be extended to single and return fares too (i.e. £2 for a single journey regardless of length; it's £1.50 in London).
Whether the Bwcabus service needs to be extended to other parts of Wales is open to debate, particularly how it fits in with community transport schemes. It's not just rural Wales either. I can think of places in this area (which probably counts as urban) where a Bwcabus service would be well-received, particularly if commercial bus services by big operators like First Group are threatened – parts of the Vale of Glamorgan, Afan Valley etc.
It's a shame there's been a lack of progress on the recommendations from the integrated transport inquiry though this report will hopefully keep some of the main proposals on the table and in ministers/civil servants minds.
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